The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) on April 4 at its annual Washington, D.C. “Spring Conference” presented the 2017 “Port Person of the Year” award to the U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise for his strong advocacy of the maritime industry since coming to Congress in 2008.
According to Brandy Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans , which nominated Congressman Scalise for the honor, “ This recognition is well deserved. ”
“ He has repeatedly taken the initiative to educate his colleagues on the critical issues facing the maritime industry. We look forward to working with Congressman Scalise to continue to build broad support for our nation’s waterways and increased investment in port infrastructure. ”
During the 113th Congress, Cong. Scalise served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee where he worked to educate his Congressional colleagues on the importance of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014.
Using his policy experience and coalition building skills, he was able to bring forth much-needed reforms to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advance his agenda of updating aging infrastructure so America’s ports can remain competitive in the global economy.
In 2016, Congressman Scalise was involved in the passage of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which includes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2016 that authorizes funding for improvement projects in America’s ports, channels, locks, dams, and other infrastructure projects such as dredging.
The WRDA 2016 act cleared way for 25 vital USACE projects in 17 states, including hurricane and flood protection projects in Louisiana.